WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball says he hasn’t done any research on the style challenger Sam Goodman will bring for their co-feature fight on August 16th in Riyadh.
A Mismatch on the Main Card
Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) states that he’s leaving it up to his coaches to have studied the style of Goodman (20-0, 8 KOs), a light puncher who was picked out from the super bantamweight division.
Nick can afford to have a cavalier attitude toward researching this opponent because he has zero power, and is another example of him selecting opposition from the 122-lb division to defend his WBA 126-lb title against.
When you’re repeatedly defending your title against smaller, weaker, and older fighters from the division below, why would you need to research them? The victory is already in the bag the moment the fighters are selected. It’s pretty pathetic when you think about it. It is enlightening, revealing Ball’s mindset of wanting to hold onto his WBA title for as long as possible.
In Ball’s two title defenses since capturing the belt from Raymond Ford in 2024, he’s defended the title against these super bantamweights: TJ Doheny and Ronny Rios. Ball’s fight next week against the third consecutive 122-pounder, Goodman. Power-wise, he’s even less of a threat than the 38-year-old Doheny and 35-year-old Rios were.
Turki’s Role in Quality Control
I’m baffled as to why Turki Alalshikh agreed to the idea of placing Ball vs. Goodman as the chief support fight on the August 16th card. The event sells for $49.99 on DAZN PPV, which isn’t cheap compared to some of Turki’s other cards that he’s put on.
Ball-Goodman isn’t expected to be even remotely competitive. It’s a pure mismatch. Ideally, Turki should have either rejected the idea of this face being placed on his event or banished it to the prelims, where it can be seen free of charge.
Ball’s Promoter Needs Tough Love
Turki should have shown some tough love to Nick Ball’s promoter, telling him that if he wants to have his fighter defending against light-hitting super bantamweights, he won’t be on his main cards. Turki should set the bar for quality on his cards by insisting fighters like Ball defend against the best, meaning he should fight talents like Bruce Carrington.
“I don’t know much about him, but he’s going to be good. He’ll be hungry. It’s going to be good. I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know and I don’t really care either,” said Nick Ball to the Punch Podcast when asked what kind of style super bantamweight Sam Goodman will bring on August 16th.
“I’m just focused on myself. Whatever style he wants to bring, that’s on him,” said Ball on whether he’s done any research toward the style that Goodman may bring to their fight.
Last Updated on 08/08/2025
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